McGranahan leaves Whitnall football coaching job to take Kenosha Tremper position

Led Falcons to playoff victory

In only two seasons, Jared McGranahan engineered a turnaround of the Whitnall football program from a one-victory season to a victory in the WIAA playoffs.

Now, though, McGranahan is moving on to the head coaching spot at Kenosha Tremper High School.

Family played a big part in his decision.

"My wife (Kelley) and I recently had our first child," he said. "My mother (Lynn) is a Tremper grad, and we have a lot of family in Kenosha. I had said all along that I would like to get nearer to the family, so when the Tremper job opened, I had to look into it."

McGranahan takes over for Frank Matrise, who ran a successful program at Tremper.

McGranahan was the head man at Whitnall for two seasons. His first team was just 1-8, but last fall, the Falcons bounced back to finish 6-5, sharing the Woodland Conference East Division crown with Greenfield and earning a WIAA playoff berth.

They downed St. Francis, 21-19, in their opener for the school's first playoff victory in 17 years and then lost to a powerful Kewaskum squad, 35-12, in the second round.

The Falcons featured a powerful offense led by quarterback Kyle Radavich, wide receiver Austin Brault, tight end Nic Smith and running back Andrew Mallmann. Brault and Smith were Now Newspapers All-Suburban choices, and Radavich and Mallmann made high honorable mention.

In addition, the junior varsity team won the Woodland East.

McGranahan believes the program can continue to build in future seasons.

"I am proud of the kids and their work ethic," he said. "This program is now in a position to sustain its success. The weight room attendance has greatly increased. There is a great coaching staff in place, and (the coaches) all want to stay. The culture of the program is better than when we started, and I give the kids a ton of credit for that."

The Falcons will lose Radavich, Brault and Smith, but McGranahan said, "They will still have one of the top players in the state in Mallmann. (Those three) are great players, but I think Whitnall can continue its success."

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